Drive for motor vehicles



Feb. '28, 1928'.

Filed May 15 z H O C r M w w w r w R m 0 h z d 2 a u w A d w J.

M I d K /I l M Z I; .mw/z d d k a Patented Feb. 28, 19528.

rotates" GRAB/LES FBOESCE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL MOTOR COM- if I PANY, or NEW YORK, n.1, a colnronnrron or DELAWARE.

ionrvn FOR MOTOR vnrrronns Application filed May 15,

This invention relates to motor vehicles of the kind in which the drive is efiected by 1 electric motors receiving their current frominternal combustion engine driven generators carried by the vehicle. 'More particularly, the invention relates to vehicles equipped with a pair of electric motors. Heretofore such vehicles have been provided with a double axle, one for each drive wheel, and each axle has been rotated by a separate motor. Diiferential or reduction gearing could not be availed of and a break-down of one of the motors resulted in propulsion through only one wheel. Furthermore, the construction necessitated the use of two relatively heavy gearing and axle houslngs thereby increasing materially the unsprung weight. I y

The present invention seeks to overcome. theaforementioned disadvantages in a twin electric drive disposed within a single axle housing substantially the same size and weight as now found in standard drives used with internal combustion engines as the prime mover. Accordingly, two motors are disposed side'by side centrally of the vehicle frame, from which vehicle propeller shafts extend rearwardly to drive, simultaneously the dilferential gearing at the rear axle.

The invention will now be described more 1 fully with reference to the accompanying the way of the water; dirt or mud thrown drawing, illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof, in which a twin electric n10- tor drive according to the present invention is shown in plan, with parts removed in the interest of clearness.

The two electric motors a, a, are mounted close together, near the longitudinal median line of the frame 6, where they are out of up by the rotating wheels. Preferably, each is independently carried by a three point support, a, and a (1?, from the transverse frame members I), b, respectively. Neither the electric conductors leading to the mo- 7, tors, nor the generators nor engine are illustrated as these form no part of the invention.

The driving force is transmitted rear- .wardly from each motor a to the rear axle 192s. Serial no. 109,240.

by avfiexible coupling or universal joint d with the rotor shaft of the motor and universal-joint (Z with a stub shaft 6 or E car- '55 rying a bevel pinione' or E meshing with a bevel gear f or F carried on the transverse shaft 7, The two gears f, F are carried in what might be called a back toback manner. whereby the driving thrusts are balanced or opposed anda simple type of bearing f is enabled to be used. Between the bearings 7,

F is disposed the gear i which meshes with the ring gear 9 of the differential gearing 9 driving the axle shafts. "The differential is thus driven from the gear 7* carried on shaft f and this shaft is turned from eitherone of the motors so that if one motor is disabled, I both wheels will be driven from the other motor. 4 i p The present construction affords a considaj, erable decrease in the unsprung weight'of the drive over previously proposed twin motordrives since only vone housing h is required which is practically no larger than-75 the usual housing for a' double reduction rear enddrive in internal combustion engine driven vehicles, the additional weight being represented only by the sets of bearings F and F the gear F and the shaft E, pinion so E and the bearings therefor.

Various modifications may be made in the disposition andconfiguration of the component elements of the driving axle and its associated parts without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as set out in the appended claim. f

What Iclaim is: p 7, 1 In a drive for motor vehicles, in combination, a pair'of electric motors disposed adja-.

centpne another on opposite sides of the V longitudinal median line of the vehicle, live. Q g axle sections, differential gearing connected with the axle sections, a pair of propeller shafts rotated by the motors respectively, and extending longitudinally of the vehicle, a housing for the difierential gearing having a housing for dual reduction gearing formed 7 therewith forwardly of the live axle sec-' tions,short shaft sections journaled'fin said we housing and connected to said propeller meshing with said bevel pinions, and a gear shafts through universal joints, bevel pincarried with said jack shaft interlmediate ions carried with said short shaft sections, said bevel gears and meshing with the 'dif- 10 a jack shaft journaled in said housing and ferentialrinq gear. 7 a 5 disposed parallel to the live axle sections This specification signed this 5th day of sand perpen ie ler to e pr pe ler shafts, May,A. D- 1926. bevel gears carried withvsaid jack shaft and i CHARLES FROESCH. 

